Helicopter Ride in Hawaii

A helicopter ride in Hawaii is an experience like no other. It was so very different for me because I have only ever flown in airplanes. It was much less of a process to take off and land- one minute we were on the ground, and the next we were 100 feet above the ground! A helicopter is significantly more maneuverable and turns very easily, allowing us to see in every direction to enjoy the many different sights. Within minutes I was thousands of feet above Hapuna, Hawaii and I could see for miles across the Big Island. We could see all the sugar cane fields, all of the houses on the hillside, and the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa– the Big Island’s two largest volcanoes. The view out towards the ocean and along the coastline was also spectacular. We could see a big storm coming far off in the distance that took up a great part of the horizon. Another attraction the flight allowed us to see was the amazing waterfalls that we flew over. There were several waterfalls we flew over that we otherwise would not have been able to see.

Flying over Hawaii’s active volcano, Mt. Kilauea was the highlight of the tour. There is not only fresh lava boiling out of the volcano but also molten rock left from years of the volcano erupting. The most memorable part of the flight came when we were right above the volcano and there was a house completely surrounded by the dried up rock when it had erupted years ago. It looked like there had been a shield around the house that somehow prevented the lava from destroying it. After we viewed the volcano for a while, we flew out to the coast. On our way out there we started to see the steam rising from where the lava meets the water. When we first looked at it all we could see was steam, but once we got closer we could actually see the lava pouring into the water. Wild! We then made our way along the coast, flying right over the crystal clear blue water. We started to be able to see the airport and our landing spot. Before we knew it we were preparing for our landing and just how we took off, we were on the ground in minutes.